When The Sun Goes Down
by casuallyfanfiction
Summary: One moment of weakness can change everything. Feelings you never knew existed are suddenly controlling your life. How can life ever be normal again and more importantly...do you want it to be? My very first attempt at a WillKaren. Chapter 14 up!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own them, i'm just borrowing them for a while. You can have them back when I'm done in (near) perfect condition. ;)

Author's Note: Ok, so yeah. It's a Will/Karen. And don't expect a sweet little love story neither. This is angst and drama if ever there was. Set during Season 3 when Karen finds out about Will changing Stan's will, except Will isn't dating Matt. If you're confused or whatever then just ask me. But for now, let's go on with the story...

**Chapter 1**

The loud tap of a pair of $500 Chanel slingbacks made their way down the empty hall. Will looked up from his stack of legal documents to see Karen at the door of his office with a face that could take even the spring out of Jack's step. Her eyes watching him like a hawk that has spotted its prey and waiting carefully to pounce.

"Karen? What are you doing here? I though that…"

"Yeah? Well, you thought wrong!"

She walked slowly towards his desk, her eyes not leaving his.

"How could you do this to me, Will?" her voice was barely above a whisper but her fury could be heard like a siren.

"Karen, I have no idea what you're talking about…" Will was feeling rather uncomfortable by now and rose out of his seat in a subconscious act of defence.

"Charities? Homeless people? Kittens?"

"Oh." The penny dropped.

"Yes…'oh'" Karen repeated.

"Look, Karen, I had nothing to do with that. I didn't deal with Stan's will." His palms started to sweat as she grew steadily closer still.

"Oh really? You had nothing to do with Stan's will…but you know what I'm talking about, don't you!"

"Well…yeah…but…"

"You can't get out of this one, Truman. I've got you cornered."

It was the truth. Karen had finally backed Will into the small corner of his office until they were so close, he could see the different coloured flecks of brown in her sparkling eyes.

"How dare you try and swindle me out of what's rightfully mine! I'll have you know I deserve that money!"

"Oh really?" Will couldn't help himself. Sometimes he pitied Stan; surely he must know Karen was only with him for the money. Maybe that's why he changed the will. Karen seemed taken back at Will's "Rightfully yours is it? How do you figure that? By being his wife? Lying on your back every once in a while doesn't make you a contestant for 'Mrs Devoted Wife USA" you know!"

The anger rose up incredulously in Will. Where did she get off talking to him like this? Karen's eyes narrowed and her hands began to twitch as they always did when she was angry. She, for a split second, was lost for words. How was Will talking to her like this? She had expected to go into his office, ranting and raving, and have the will sorted out in time for her 11 o' clock drink.

"Let me tell you something, Truman. I love Stanley Walker, believe it or not, and…"

"Shut up, Karen. I don't care how you justify your…your demonic love of money, but the will's been changed and that's that. You can't do anything about it so just shut up and deal with it!"

Her twitching hands rose and she slapped him full across the face. "Don't you ever speak to me like that again!" Her voice low but deadly. She rose her hand again to take another swing but Will caught it just in time. They stood there for a few seconds, breathing heavily. Their eyes bore into each others until Karen suddenly moved her hand free from Will's, grabbing the back of his neck, and pulled his face towards hers where they met and a passionate kiss. It all happened in a split second. Karen pulled back, both still breathing heavily, and took a small step backwards, mainly in shock, but Will reached out and pulled her towards him again.

What the hell was going on, they both thought as they kissed each other hungrily, but neither of them did anything to stop it.

'Aren't I gay?' Will asked himself. 'Why am I kissing a woman? Why am I kissing Karen? I hate Karen, don't I?' But he found himself craving her at that moment more than he'd ever craved any man he'd ever known. He reached one hand behind her, pulling her warm body closer to his, as his other almost tore away the clip she had holding up her hair and then slowly ran his fingers through the sleek, silky mass, now covering her shoulders.

Karen too was disorientated by the situation. When did she feel like this about Will? When did she feel anything towards Will other than significant dislike? So why wasn't she pulling back, screaming at him for doing this to her, slapping his face again as she had done moments before? Why was she kissing back? And also…why was he?

* * *

I tried my best to keep it from being X-rated. You get the idea though...raises eyebrows suggestively R&R pleeease:)


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Once more, the corridor outside Will's office was filled with the sound of high-heels. Grace briskly walked towards her best friend's door, hoping to have caught him before he left for lunch. But before she could open the door, Will's secretary, Lisa, stopped her.

"Are you looking for Mr Truman?" she asked quickly.

"Ah...yeah. I was just going in to see him." Grace replied, somewhat confused by the secretary's questions. She'd never stopped her going into his office before. Usually she just let Grace walk straight in. What was going on? "Why, is there a problem?"

Lisa hastily looked at the door then at Grace again.

"Yes…ahh…he's not in. He went out about twenty minutes ago."

"Oh…well, where did he go?"

"He didn't say. I think it was a meeting with a client."

Something wasn't right, Grace thought to herself. "He didn't tell me about it this morning." She said, her hand on the door handle ready to open.

Lisa saw this and rose from her chair, slowly making her way to the door. "Well, it was an emergency…he said something about a will. I'll tell him you stopped by though when he comes back."

Grace still wasn't happy but this woman clearly wanted her gone for whatever reason. She released the handle and started to move away. "Well…ok. Tell him that he needs to meet me at 3 back at home because I need help with my outfit for tonight."

"I'll tell him."

"Ok then…bye…"

Lisa watched as Grace walked down the hall and just as the elevator doors closed, she knocked once, opened Will's office door and walked in.

"_Are you looking for Mr Truman?"_

The sudden voice caused Karen and Will to leap up from the desk where they were now lying. The heated kiss had lead them to Will's desk where he had swept everything aside with one swift movement of his arm and Karen had pulled him back onto her. But now they were panicking. Will hastily picked up his shirt off the floor as Karen buttoned hers up and tried to fix her hair. Neither of them said a word as they scrambled to look half way decent for whoever they guessed would be coming in the door at any moment.

"_Ah…yeah. I was just going to see him."_

Grace. They both stopped as they heard Grace's light hearted voice on the other side of the door. Guilt soared through Will's body, haunting him to his very core. What if she'd walked in on them? How would…how could he have explained it to her? He couldn't even explain it to himself. They dressed silently and as quickly as they could, praying she wouldn't open the door. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, they heard her say goodbye and walk away.

Karen opened her mouth to speak after heaving a huge sigh of relief but the door opened and Lisa walked in.

She looked at them both knowingly. Karen's blouse was buttoned up wrong and Will had a red lipstick stain on his shirt collar. The mess of papers on the floor showed exactly that what she had thought she heard happening, did in fact take place.

"I…"

Will started to speak but Lisa cut him off. "Don't. Don't explain. I don't want to know. Just…forget about it. Mr Truman, Grace was just here. She was looking for you. She said meet her at home at 3."

"Umm…thanks, Lisa. Thank you so much." He couldn't think of anything else to say. She had obviously heard them together from her desk outside. She didn't say anything as she turned and walked out of the door, closing it behind her.

Will turned to Karen, who was looking straight at him with tears in her eyes.

"I…I'm sorry." She whispered.

This took Will by surprise. Shouldn't he be apologising to her? But Karen continued. "If Grace had walked in…" she couldn't say what would have happened. "…I'm just…I'm so sorry."

"No, Karen, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…I mean, I never…fuck, I don't even know what to say."

She smiled slightly, "Me neither. Strange, isn't it? The two people who usually have something to say…"

He nodded but said nothing. They stood in silence for a few minutes before Karen voiced the inevitable question.

"So what do we do now?"

* * *

R&R my lovelies:)


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Karen fumbled with her Prada bag strap as the limo whisked her away. She needed to think, needed to get her head around what had happened. But all she could think of was Will's kiss. His hands caressing her back. The way he had placed trails of kisses all down her neck. She snapped her hand away which had subconsciously been re-tracing the route of those kisses and filled it with a drink. What did this mean? Did she love him? No, she couldn't. Up until an hour ago she had hated his guts, wanted to kill him even. She couldn't deny it though, when she had been lying on that desk she had wanted him. All of him. But why?

Will sat alone in his office staring at the papers still littering his floor. He too could still feel Karen's lips pressed against his. He shot a look at the clock ticking away just next to one of the desk legs that had too been thrust aside in the heat of the moment. 2.15pm. Should he call her? Try and explain himself? They had hardly discussed it together, just simply agreed not to mention it again. Then Karen had left. Even through all the guilt and regret he felt, he still suffered a twang of sorrow when she had strode out of the door not allowing herself to look at him.

Will picked up the phone and before he knew what he was doing, he called Karen's limo phone, the number of which he had been given in case of emergencies.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's…it's me."

There was a pause. Please don't hang up, he silently begged.

"What do you want, Will?" She didn't sound angry or even upset, just…tired.

"We need to talk about this…about us."

"Will…" she pleaded. "…don't."

"No, I'm sorry, Karen, but we've got to. Can I come over? What time will you be home?"

He could hear her sigh sadly. His arms ached to hold her, to comfort her. What was wrong with him?

"I…just give me half an hour. Come over then." And before Will could respond she hung up.

* * *

It's short, I know. I'm working on chapter 4 as we...umm...type.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Will hesitated, his finger poised over the doorbell. He wasn't sure what was going to happen but he knew that they needed to have this out. Things just couldn't go back to even being halfway normal otherwise.

He closed his eyes and pushed. A bell chimed somewhere and a few seconds later one of Karen's maids came running and opened the door.

"Is Karen home?" he asked after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence. He'd been to the house many times before but something about the way the maid looked at him let him know that she knew this wasn't legal business.

"She's in the TV room, Mr Truman." the girl replied, and moved aside to let him through. Will had been in the mansion many times before, but for some reason it now felt so much more intimidating. The walls seemed to be closing in on him and the multiple eyes from the paintings covering the walls glared at him as he edged his way towards the door.

"Hey, Wilma."

Karen's soft voice greeted him as he approached. He smiled, trying to ignore the feeling that was going on in his stomach and concentrated on making his way towards the sofa.

There she was, lying on one elbow in a white silk nightdress with a cigarette in one hand, a martini in the other and a look of sheer melancholy on her face. She could give Bette Davis a run for her money any day. Will had to fight every inch of his being to stop himself from grabbing her up in his arms and kissing her as they had done barely an hour before. Karen looked uncomfortable, why had she changed into her nightgown? Now he would think she was trying to seduce him.

She wasn't.

Was she?

"I…" Will tried to begin as he perched timidly on the edge of the nearest chair, but he couldn't find the words. He didn't even know what needed to be said. He came with the intention of apologising; he wanted to make sure it wouldn't happen again. But now he was there, and Karen was looking like she did…he couldn't do it.

"Drink?" Karen suggested, trying her best to stay off the subject she knew was going to come up. She hadn't wanted Will to come over. Now he was here, all she could think of were his kisses all over her body and that was wrong. Will coming over to 'discuss things' meant he felt nothing towards her. She didn't know why, but that hurt her like a knife in her heart. She got up from her seat and stumbled blindly towards the little bar in the corner. Her head pounded and she felt like she was going to collapse, all these thoughts and feelings were just too much for her.

Will saw her stagger and immediately rose from his chair. Her shoulders started to shake and he saw her hand rise to her head. He didn't know what to do. For as long as he could remember he'd always been the strong one, the dependant one, the person everybody went to for advice. In he own words, he loved being a lawyer…he could convince himself of anything. But now…now he had a million different things swimming through his head and none of them made sense at all.

As a muffled, but still audible, sob came from Karen, Will ignored all the warning bells screaming in his head and walked up behind her, placing a trembling hand softly on her equally shaking shoulder. She jumped slightly upon the contact but didn't say anything.

"Karen? Talk to me."

"I…I…" she began, but words failed her, something distinctly unusual for Karen.

Acting entirely upon impulse, Will deftly spun her round and enclosed her with his arms, placing soft kisses on her head. Karen immediately felt safe and protected. Her spinning head came to a stand still and all she could think about was the wonderful feeling pouring through her body at Will's firm, but gentle, touch.

"I don't know what's happening to me." Will whispered to the petite brunette. He slowly stepped backwards from the embrace and lifted Karen's head up with his hand. They stood there for a few seconds, searching each other's eyes for an answer.

"I think I'm falling in love."

* * *

Yikes! It's been forever since I updated! I'd blame it on writer's block but that makes me sound like a proper writer and we all know I'm far from it! Blame it on sheer laziness. Anyhoo, it's up! So please review! I hope this is going ok, tell me if you don't like it, please!


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Ok, it's been forEVER since I updated but I've had exams and school and just blargh. But now it's the summer holidays! Yey! So I'm free to write! So yeah, here you go, chapter 5...remember to review:)

**Chapter 5**

It was a cold November morning when Will left Karen's mansion. The biting air caused his face to flush, but nothing could keep the smile from his face. As he walked through the hustle and bustle of New York City, gripping his coat tighter to his body, trying to keep the warmth in, he couldn't help but think about everything that had happened since yesterday. He just couldn't believe how his feelings had changed so abruptly towards Karen. She had always been a friend, someone he could talk to and she had felt the same towards him, but neither of them had realised their feelings ran this deep towards each other. Will made a quick stop into the nearest Starbucks to grab a coffee, hoping it would wake him up. The frosty air had certainly helped, but having had no sleep, Will needed an extra boost.

He and Karen had simply laid on the sofa in each others arms, talking until the sun came up. Neither of them had wanted to rush into anything yet, not when everything they were feeling was so new and fragile. Secretly, they had both debated this in their minds. They had never felt this way before, about anybody, and wanted to be together fully. But it was Karen who had stopped them before they became too carried away. "Not yet." She had said simply to Will, who had to fight with all his energy to keep his hands off her. But he understood. They didn't really know each other yet. Of course they knew each other as friends but their relationship side was completely unknown to each of them and they wanted do everything properly when what they felt was so strong.

Throughout the night, Karen had fallen asleep several times whilst lying in Will's arms and he had just watched her, not believing her beauty. 'How could I never have seen her in this way before?' he asked himself as he lightly traced a finger over her face as if to memorise each feature and imprint it on his brain. 'I can't screw this up.'

It was 8.30am when Will finally tore himself away from Karen's delicate sleeping frame and started to make his way home. As he had reached the door, Karen came up behind him and turned him round, kissing him.

"Not leaving without saying goodbye, are you?" she asked before kissing him softly again. For a split second, Will debated staying but he knew he had to get home to change before he left for work.

"I'll call you when I get to work, ok?"

She nodded and kissed him one last time before allowing him to leave.

As Will reached his apartment, he put his hand in his pocket for his keys and found his cell phone. '38 missed calls' the screen read. Will grinned, thinking they were from Karen already but he realised he was wrong when he opened the front door.

"Where the HELL have you been?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Will froze. It was Grace. She was standing in the lounge with the phone in one hand and her phonebook in the other. Her make-up had run down her face from where Will could see she had been crying and she was wearing the same clothes he had left her in yesterday which meant that she hadn't been to bed or…'shit', he remembered, 'her date!' he was supposed to go home early to help her choose her outfit.

"Well?" She stared at him, shaking slightly. "Where the fuck have you been?" she started waving the phone and book at him as she came towards him. Will still remained unable to move. "I went to your office yesterday and whatshername told me you were in a meeting or something so I told her to tell you to come back here by 3 to help me get ready for my date with Andy." Her voice grew higher with every word. "So it gets to 3….no Will. 4….no Will. 5….no Will. So I ring your cell. No answer. I ring the office. You had left over 3 hours ago and hadn't been back since. It gets to 8 and I'm supposed to be meeting Andy but how can I when my best friend has gone missing? I left about 20 messages on your phone! I had to cancel my date! I've been sitting here ringing everyone I know, all the hospitals in the whole of New York thinking you were DEAD or something! I was just about to ring Karen when you walked in!"

She paused for breath. "Well? Aren't you going to say something? I thought you were lying dead somewhere!"

"Gracie, calm down. You're getting hysterical." He said calmly.

"Calm down? Hysterical? I've been awake the entire night trying to find you and you tell me to calm down?"

"Look, I'm so sorry, Gracie." He walked slowly towards her. "My meeting ran late and we went for something to eat. I bumped into James Greaves in this restaurant, remember him from college? We went for some drinks and I had a little bit too much and so he took me back to the hotel he was staying at and let me crash there. I would have called but I've lost my cell and by the time I was anywhere near a payphone, I was too drunk to remember the number." He quickly made sure his cell was stuffed into the very bottom of his big coat pocket and looked nervously at Grace. Had she believed him?

Grace thought about it for a moment, still gripping the phone and the phonebook. "What, so you're saying that you couldn't get to a phone in the nearly 20 hours it's been since you left work?"

"I didn't like to ask anyone in the meeting, they're really big clients, Grace, and then I told you, by the time I was in the bar and it occurred to me that I should ring you, I was too drunk to remember the number. I doubt I could remember my own name." He subconsciously pleaded with her to believe him. Her eyes softened and she lowered her arms. He took this as his cue to hug her. "I'm sorry, Gracie." He whispered.

"I was just…really worried. Don't do it again, ok?"

"Ok, I promise." He smiled at her and she smiled back. Everything was alright again.

"Look, I'm going to have to run because, well, I stink and I'm late for work so I'll have a quick shower and then I've got to go. But we'll talk tonight, ok?"

* * *

As soon as Will got into his office, he picked up the phone and called Karen. Luckily she, for once, picked up the phone herself – he hadn't fancied convincing Rosario to find her.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Oh!" she breathed excitedly. He could tell by her voice that she was smiling as she spoke. "Hey you…I miss you."

Will grinned "I miss you too." He hesitated before he continued, not wanting to break the mood. "Look, we need to talk about Grace and Jack. I got home this morning and…well, I'll put it this way. We're lucky the whole of NYPD wasn't searching New York for me this morning if I hadn't walked in when I did."

"Oh, that bad, huh?"

"Yeah, so what are we going to do? I mean, we obviously need to tell them sooner or later it's just that I was thinking more along the later timescale. But after this morning, it looks like it's going to have to be relatively soon."

"You're right." Karen agreed. "But how do we tell them? Grace is going to be heartbroken, you do realise that, don't you?"

Will was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Oh come on, as much as Grace knows that you two are best friends and nothing more could ever happen, she's going to be devastated when she knows that you've fallen in…" she hesitated, not wanting to put words in Will's mouth that she wasn't sure he meant yet. "Well, that you've fallen for a girl and it isn't her."

"Shit, you're right."

"Well, of course I'm right, honey! I have worked for the girl for over 15 years!"

"4."

"Seems longer."

Will laughed at Karen's bluntness but he soon turned serious again. "So…what do we do? Should we do it together? All four of us or tackle them both separately? Jack's going to be pretty cut up about it too, you know?"

"I know, I know." She whispered softly. "God, this is so hard."

Will thought for a moment. "I don't think we should tell them at the moment though."

"Why not?"

"Well, we've only been doing this just over a day, Karen. And it might not, well, it might not come to anything."

"Oh…right." She sounded hurt. He was definitely not saying this the right way. "Crap, that came out all wrong. I want this to be something, I do, Karen, it's just that…well…you never know what's around the corner and we don't want to hurt them anymore than we have to. Let's just see how things go and when it starts to get serious, then we tell them."

Karen thought about this for a moment. "Ok, you're right." She said, but still sounded a little hurt.

"I do want this to be serious, Karen. I've never felt this way about anyone before."

"Me too, honey." She cheered up at his words. "I wish I could see you today."

Will glanced at his watch. "Well, I'm busy now but we can meet for lunch if you like."

"I'd love to, honey."

"Great, I'll come round at about 1 and take you somewhere special, ok?"

"Ok. Bye."

Karen hung up the phone and lay back into her chair but just as she did so, the phone rang again.

"What did you forget, Mr Truman" she said teasingly as she picked up the phone.

"Karen?" came the voice from the other end and Karen gasped as she realised who she was actually talking to. "It's Stan."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Karen head started to spin as she tried to think of something to say to her husband.

"Karen, are you there?"

"Uh...yes, yes, I'm here, Stanley." She answered quickly.

"Who were you talking to when you picked up the phone?"

"Just now? Oh, that was...uhh…that was Will, y'know, our lawyer? We've just been going over the wills and he's been ringing all morning so I thought it might be him, again."

"Oh. Right, ok. Well, I just called to tell you I'm coming home next week, ok?"

Stan had been on a business trip in LA for the past month.

"Oh, are you?" She tried to sound enthusiastic about it but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her face.

Stanley laughed, "Once more with feeling please! Haven't you missed me, Kare?"

"Of course I have." She said as she viciously wiped her face dry.

"Good, cos I've missed you. My plane gets in on Thursday morning at about 10 so I'll see you then, ok?"

"Thursday at 10. Ok."

"Love you, bye."

"Yeah…bye, Stan."

She hung up the phone and quickly found a handkerchief. What was she going to do? She had almost forgotten about Stan and everything had started to go so well for her. Things hadn't been fine between her and Stanley for a while but by that phone call, he obviously wanted to make things better. She needed to talk to Will desperately but remembered he had said he was busy until lunchtime. It would have to wait. She wiped her face one last time, straightened her blouse and walked towards her bedroom to get ready for her lunch date.

* * *

"Will, can I talk to you for a minute?" 

The voice made Will come to a halt as he walked out of his office door. Finally it was 12.30 and he could leave to pick up Karen. But just as he got free, Ben came round the corner.

"Uhh, well, I'm kind of in a hurry, Ben…"

"It'll just take a quick second. I just wanted to let you know that Stanley Walker is coming back from his business trip next week. That means he is your number one client again. Remember, Walker Inc is worth a lot to this company so I expect you to make him your priority and you won't come into the office looking like shit."

"Excuse me?"

"Come on, Will!" he pointed at the bags under Will's eyes and his sullen skin. "How much sleep did you get last night? Look, like I've said, Walker Inc is this company's top client and you will not screw this up. Or you will be out on your ass. That's all."

Ben walked off, leaving Will in shock. First he learns that Stan is back and second that his job is on the line if anything gets in the way. He needed to see Karen.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Karen stood looking at herself in her bedroom mirror for what seemed like the hundredth time. She had never worried about how she looked before, I mean, what was there to worry about? She had a killer rack, a fabulous body and a closet to die for! So why had she changed her outfit 13 times? There was something about Will that made her uneasy, but it wasn't a negative thing. She liked it. She liked, for once, having to think about what she was doing. Stan didn't care what she wore so long as she was the idyllic trophy wife, but with Will it was different. Suddenly she found herself eager to please him, to make him proud to be seen with her and she liked the challenge. Finally she decided on a simple black skirt with a pink blouse and, of course, her black Chanel slingbacks. Everything had been reeling around in her head for the past 2 hours and she was relieved that she could now talk it over with Will. He had a calming affect on her. She'd noticed it even before this whole thing had started; he was always the one she would talk to if she needed anything because he always knew what to do. Hopefully, this would be the same.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang and she heard Rosario open the door.

"I'm here to see Karen." She heard Will's voice say form downstairs.

"I'm coming!" she called and scurried out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Will tried to hide his breathlessness from Rosario but he couldn't help it. She looked amazing.

"Will's taking me out to lunch." Karen told Rosie. "We need to discuss the wills." And she marched Will out of the door before Rosario could say anything about it.

"Oh honey, this place is gorgeous!" Karen breathed as she stepped inside the cosy little restaurant. Will beamed, "You really think so?"

"Oh, I do! It's perfect!"

Will lead her to the table he had reserved in the corner so they could be alone. He pulled back her chair to allow her to sit down but was puzzled when she hesitated. "What's wrong, Karen?"

"Oh…nothing. It's just…well, nobody's ever a gentleman to me like you are Will." She blushed and quickly sat down.

"Well, you deserve them to be." He whispered and kissed her cheek before sitting down opposite her.

Unfortunately, the magic was broken as both Will and Karen remembered what they needed to talk about. Will grabbed Karen's hands and held them with his as he began to speak.

"Ok…we need to talk. I knew this was going to be a problem from the beginning, but I didn't realise we would have to deal with it so soon." He sighed. "Stan's coming back."

"I know."

"You know?"

"Yes, he called me this morning, straight after I finished talking to you." Karen bowed her head, she could feel the tears welling up again. So much for Karen Walker not doing emotions. Will saw her and stroked her cheek with one of his hands. "Why didn't you call me?" he asked softly.

"Because you were at work and busy. I didn't want to ruin your morning and have you worrying until you came to see me. When did you find out?"

"Ben told me just as I was leaving. He also 'mentioned' that if I screw up Stan as a client, I'll loose my job."

"Oh, honey…" Karen sighed. "What are we going to do? I thought the hardest thing would be telling Grace and Jack…how the hell could I have left my goddamn husband out of the equation?" she hit her fist against the table and buried her head in her hands. "I don't want to loose you." She whispered, unable to hold back the tears any longer.

"I'm not going anywhere." Will told her firmly. "I don't know what we're going to do, but you are not going to loose me. I promise."

"But how can this work? I'm married! Grace and Jack are the least of our problems. I'd divorce Stan in a second if I thought it would help but it won't solve anything. While Stan's your client, we can't be publicly together but if you drop him as a client, you'll get fired."

Will was silent. Karen was right, how could this ever work? "I can't let you divorce Stan for me. What about the money? And how do you know….well, I mean, do you honestly feel more for me than you do for Stan? After a day?"

Karen nodded emphatically. "Yes. I do. I don't know what you've done to me, Will Truman, but I'm falling for you big time."

Will kissed her hands and smiled. "I'm falling for you too. In fact, I've already fallen. Karen, I lo…" But just as he was about to speak, Karen placed a finger over his mouth and silenced him. "Don't say it. Not yet. It'll kill me if you do and we can't be together." He understood and felt exactly the same.

"Ok, but this still doesn't sort things out."

"I know…I know…" she wiped her face and took a deep breath. "We'll just have to…not tell anyone for now."

"You mean have a relationship but in secret? An affair?"

Karen smiled. "Exactly…an affair. I'm not going to loose you Will."

Will seemed a little uneasy at this suggestion. He hated the idea of lying to Grace again, especially after this morning, but it seemed the only way to keep seeing Karen. "Ok, we'll keep it a secret for now." Karen giggled as Will leaned over the table and kissed her.

"Now that's out of the way, can we order some food? I'm starving!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The rest of the week was relatively drama-free. Will and Karen had lunch together everyday and after, Will would walk her home right to her doorstep and they would share a magical kiss in the elevator up before they got to her front door and would have to act like lawyer and client again. Somehow the secrecy of it all made it even more exciting and although there were one or two close calls, their relationship remained quite hidden. Of course, if it had been up to either Will or Karen, they would spend every minute they had spare together, but lunch times were the only time they could legitimately go out without anyone asking questions. However, a few days before Stan was to return, Jack started asking questions.

"Where are you nowadays, Kare?" he had asked her on one of his frequent trips to Grace's office.

"What do you mean, honey?"

"Well, everyday this week I've wanted to go for lunch and you're never around." He pouted at her while Karen giggled nervously.

"Oh, well, I've just been doing some shopping, that's all."

"Oh, I get it. Is it because Stan's coming back on Thursday?"

"Yeah, that's it. I've just been buying some new clothes to look nice for him, that sort of thing."

"Oh…ok." Jack dropped the subject but didn't seem entirely satisfied. Karen didn't notice however, she was just pleased that she'd got away with it and went back to her 'work' for Grace, which mainly consisted of painting her nails and making sure her martini glass was always full.

* * *

As well as seeing each other every lunch, Will would ring Karen every night when he knew she would either be in the tub or having a 'nap' in the library. The night before Stan was due to come home, however, Karen rung Will. 

"Hey honey, it's me."

"Oh hey! I was just about to ring you."

There was silence. Will immediately knew something was wrong. "You ok?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm…I'm fine." He heard her sniff and knew she was crying.

"I'm coming over."

"What? No, no, don't, honey. I'm fine. Everything's fine. It's just, well, you know, Stan's coming home and..." she sighed.

"I'm coming over, Karen."

"Will! No!" she protested, but her voice was clearly breaking with emotion. "What will you tell Grace?"

"That I've got a last minute meeting or something. Anyway, she's out on a date. She won't know I've been home yet, I'll ring from the cab and pretend I'm stuck in a meeting."

"Ok. Thanks, honey."

"I'll be there in 10 minutes."

He put the phone down and grabbed his keys but just as he was about to open the door, it swung open and Grace stood there looking utterly depressed.

"Grace!"

"Oh, Will. I'm so glad you're home! I've just had the worst date EVER! Urgh! Men suck. Let's stick on a movie and eat wheat. I'm in the mood for First Wives Club or something equally male bashing!"

He hesitated. "I…uhh…"

"What? What's wrong? Where are you going?"

"I was just going to meet a client."

She looked at her watch. "What, now? It's 9 o' clock at night! Who has a meeting at this time?"

"Well, it's just drinks really…he's a new client and wanted to have some drinks with me…get to know me…that sort of thing…it'd look bad if I cancelled on him now…" Will slowly edged towards the door. He felt awful but Karen needed him.

"Oh…ok, then. I guess I'll see you when you come back." She looked upset and turned her back on him as she walked towards her bedroom.

"I'm really sorry, Gracie." he called. "I'll be back by 11. We can talk then." but she didn't answer. Damn it, he thought, now Grace is upset. But he had promised Karen so he picked up his coat and made his way downstairs.

* * *

"It's our last night together." Karen announced suddenly, sitting bolt upright. Will had come round an hour ago and they had lay together in their favourite spot by the big open fire in the library just enjoying each other's company. Will opened his eyes with a start at Karen's sudden announcement.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we're not going to be able to do this when Stan gets back, are we, honey? This is our last night together before we have to…y'know…go into hiding." She said the last part very dramatically with air quotations, making it impossible for Will not to laugh.

"It's not funny!" she insisted, although she was starting to giggle too.

"Well, what do you suggest we do then?" Will asked, rather suggestively, moving his upper body even closer to where Karen sat on his knees.

"Not that!" Karen laughed, hitting him on the arm. "No, I meant we should do something…oh, I don't know, something _romantic_! We should go somewhere, make the most of tonight."

"Like what?"

"Well, I can't think of everything, can I, honey? You're the guy, you think of something! Impress me! Dazzle me!"

Will thought for a moment. "I have the perfect idea! Grab a warm coat and meet me downstairs in half an hour. I'll be right back!"

"Half an hour? Honey, what the hell…?" but Will had gone.

* * *

Ok, I've just realised I've given you absolutely no timescale for this whatsoever! I'm a dumbass! Basically it's AU cos I tried to fit it in with the program but it didn't work. I kind of pick bits from every season and put it in there (which you'll see in the next chapter) so don't worry that I've got my seasons confused or anything. It's AU but I nick stuff basically! I think that's all there is. Ask me if I screw up or you don't get something:) 


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: I just thought I'd ask. Do you like the chapters as they are, relatively small? Or would you rather a put a couple of them together to make big ones? It doesn't make much difference to me. It just means the updates might be longer but the chapters will have more stuff in them. It's up to you guys!

**Chapter 10**

"Will! What are you doing? Where am I? If this you've taken me to some place in the projects, I swear…!"

"Shh! We're almost there!"

"Honey, I can't see!"

Will smiled to himself. Karen was very panicky when she wasn't in complete control of the situation. "We're almost there." He whispered in her ear as he guided her from the limo with his hands firmly covering her eyes.

"Good, because I'm freezing my perfect ass off out here!"

"Well, I won't disagree with that." He said, smiling. "Ok…open."

Karen, at first, daren't open her eyes once Will had released her but curiosity got the better of her and she slowly opened them.

"Oh..." was all she could find to say. Once again, Will had rendered her speechless; a feat not achieved by many. Will had remembered the little plot of land he and Grace owned and had tried (and failed miserably) to turn it into a garden. The perfect place, he thought, for a secret _romantic_ getaway. Luckily the 'garden' was just around the corner to a 24-hour store so Will had bought literally hundreds of tea-light candles and placed them all around on the grass. He had also bought 2 bottles of white wine and left them in the snow to chill, along with 2 glasses.

"Ok, before you say anything, yes I know it's the middle of November and I'm expecting you to sit outside and I know that you're wearing you're new Chanel's and the snow will ruin the heels, and yes I know…" But before Will could continue, Karen pulled his head down to hers and kissed him slowly but passionately.

"I love it." She whispered when they broke apart, their foreheads still touching.

"Really? Cos I wanted it to be really special but it was a completely spur of the moment thing and…."

"Will, I honestly love it. Now, shut up and kiss me."

* * *

"You have no new messages."

Grace hung up the phone once more after checking, yet again, if Will had called her. She looked at the clock on the VCR; 11.08. _He said he'd be home by 11_ she thought. _Where is he?_

Grace leapt up from the sofa and went across the hall to Jack's apartment.

"Jack!" she called, but nobody was there. He was obviously out on a date. For the third time that day. _And with a different guy, no doubt_ Grace thought to herself as she walked back into her apartment. _Great, I'm stuck here all alone whilst everybody's out having fun. God, life sucks! _She grabbed the blanket from the sofa and wrapped it around her as she walked into her bedroom. _Well screw them!

* * *

_

Like the perfect gentleman he was, Will had taken his coat off and given it to Karen to sit on. They had sat chatting for what seemed like hours when Will suddenly stopped Karen in the middle of her sentence and knelt up.

"Honey, what are you…?"

"Karen. It's probably the wine that's giving me the confidence boost to say this but who cares, I'm going to say it anyway."

"Will…" she whispered, knowing what he was going to say but she couldn't bring herself to stop him this time. She wanted to hear it.

Will grabbed Karen's hands and held them in his, looking deep into her eyes as he spoke. "Karen Walker…the last week has been the most unexpected but the most wonderful week of my entire life. If someone had told me a couple of weeks ago that I would be sat here with you right now, feeling the way I do about you, I would have called them crazy. But now it seems crazy to me that I ever felt any other way. I want to be with you, Karen. I know that it's impossible right now, and I know that because of that, you don't want me to say this but I just can't…I can't help how I feel about you and I want you to know how much I feel for you."

Will let go of one of Karen's hands and gently wiped the tears that were slowly falling down her face. "God you're so cold, maybe outside was a bad idea. We should go back…"

"No." Karen said, even though her teeth were chattering. "I don't care about the cold." She smiled the beautiful, warm smile that Will loved and he knew she wanted him to go on.

"Ok, but I'll try and make this quick. Karen…I love you. I love you with all my heart. And I know we can't be together like we want to right now but someday, I don't know when, but someday we will. I promise you." Will himself started to fight back tears as he watched Karen absorb what he had said. "God, I'm being so dramatic!" he said, laughing at himself.

"No, no you're not." Karen said softly. "It was perfect. You're perfect. Will, I love you too. I love you so much." She leant forward and pulled him into another passionate kiss. Even when their lips had broken apart, Karen wouldn't let Will go. She clung onto him desperately as if he would disappear if she let go. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Karen spoke tentatively "This was beautiful, Will, and I'll never forget it as long as I live but…"

"You're cold, right?"

She giggled. "Freezing!"

"Me too."

Will stood up and brushed the snow from his trousers before picking Karen up and his coat. "I think Driver's parked round the corner so I'll walk you to the limo then I'll have to go." Will had only just noticed the time. 11.38. He had completely forgotten all about Grace…again. He had to get home and soon. They walked up the road and round the corner to the limo where Will opened the door for Karen but before she stopped before she got in.

"Will, I can't put into words what tonight has meant to me. I know that tomorrow will change everything and who knows what will happen in the future but I'll never forget tonight. I love you."

"I love you too, Kare."

He pulled her into a final kiss before she got in the limo and drove away. Will watched the sleek black car disappear into the next street and hailed for a cab to take him home.

However, Will was not the only person watching the limo drive away. Across the street, as he had been just about to enter an apartment building, someone had seen the two of them say goodbye and could not believe his eyes. He grabbed his cell phone quickly out of his pocket and dialled a number.

"Grace? It's Jack…"


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Grace? It's Jack…you need to pick up the phone right now! Grace! Are you there? Please pick up! I've just seen Karen and Will and…oh god, just pick up…please? Grace? Ok, you're obviously out with some 'gay guy you think is straight' right now but you need to ring me as soon as you get this message. I'm on my way home now. It's just…call me if I don't see you first, ok? This is urgent! Karen and Will…they were…I'll tell you when I talk to you…ok, bye."

Will froze as he played back the message for the third. Jack had seen them. Jack had seen them. He didn't know what to do. Any minute now, Jack would come bursting in through the door and wake Grace up and…god, he couldn't even think about what would unfold. God, how could he have been so stupid? They had been so careful all week and now…now it was his fault that they got caught. Why did he choose that garden? He knew that Jack had numerous boyfriends living round there! He couldn't let this happen to Karen. He had to stop him.

Will deleted the message and removed the tape from the machine and stuffed it in his pocket just to make sure Grace would never hear it, then he flung open the door and raced down the stairs which he figured would be faster than waiting for the elevator. Just as he reached the lobby of the building, he saw a cab pull up outside and Jack jumped out, flinging money at the driver and running inside. Both men stopped as they saw each other, knowing exactly what the other was there to do.

"Please, Jack…" Will began, gasping for air. "Please."

"I'm sorry; I don't know what you're talking about." Jack said very matter-of-factly.

"Yes you do. I know you saw…us. I heard the message upstairs."

"Oh, I see you're referring to the incident I just witness about 10 minutes ago?"

"Jack, please…don't play games with me."

"I don't think you're in any position to tell me what to do here, Will!" Jack walked towards him slowly. "Karen is my best friend! And you…you're…you're…well, gay, for one thing! I mean, what the hell was that? And don't you dare tell me Karen just wanted to french you for the fun of it because we both know that she only does that with me!"

"Jack...I don't know what to say. It just…happened…" Will said desperately.

"Just happened? Oh, don't give me that bullshit, Will! You didn't just fall onto her! That was a kiss! A real kiss! The kind…the kind Karen doesn't have with me." He said the last part quietly with his head bowed.

"Jack, I'm sorry you had to find out this way. We meant to tell you, to tell you both but…we couldn't."

"You couldn't? We're you best friends and you both couldn't find the time in your sordid little affair to tell us? How long has this been going on anyway? Weeks, months, what?"

"Just a week, or so. I don't know how to explain it anymore than it just…happened. One minute we were ready to kill each other, the next…we were falling in love." Will tried to explain but he knew Jack wouldn't understand. He could see him slowly moving towards the elevator. Will needed to keep Jack talking long enough to convince him not to tell Grace.

"Falling in love? I don't understand this! Will, you're gay, remember? I helped you come out! And Karen…Karen loves Stan…and me! So if she should be having an affair with anyone it should be…me."

"I know how you must be feeling about this, Jack…"

"No, you don't know! How can you possibly know?" he shouted. By this point they were starting to gather quite a crowd and the doorman as making his way inside to break it up. Will realised his time was running out, Jack was not convince at all that he shouldn't tell Grace. He needed to see Karen.

"Look, Jack, let's go and see Karen. You can talk to her about it; after all, you are her poodle." He tried to smile but Jack's stony face quickly stopped him dead.

"I'd rather just go upstairs and talk to Grace about this, if you don't mind." And he turned his back on Will and got in the elevator.

"No! Jack, no! You can't! Please, I'm begging you!" he pleaded with Jack. "Nobody can know about this! Not even Grace." He was desperate.

"Why not? She deserves to know!"

"Can you imagine what will happen if this gets out? Stan will divorce Karen and she'll be penniless. I'll loose my job for having an affair with a client and for loosing the biggest client the firm's ever had. Grace will not speak to Karen or me ever again. Everything will just…fall apart."

Jack took this in but still didn't fully understand. "So if it will cause so much damage, why are you doing it?"

Will only had one answer for this question and if it didn't work, he knew nothing would. "Because I love her, Jack. I love Karen. And whatever is said and done, it all comes down to that. I love her."

Again, Jack slowly took this in. Will could see he was beginning to soften.

"What about Karen, does she love you too?"

"Yes. She does." He said simply.

"But it still doesn't change the fact that you lied to Grace and me. And you would have carried on lying if I hadn't found out! If everything you say is true, that you love each other, and yet all this stuff will happen if it comes out, how do you have a future?"

"We don't know. Stan comes back from his business trip tomorrow so tonight was, essentially, our last night together." Will's eyes started to fill up at the mere thought of it. Jack watched him closely and stepped out of the elevator. "But I…I don't know what to do. I should tell Grace but…" he sighed. "I need to talk to Karen."

Will looked up, "Ok, we'll get a cab over there now."

"No, I mean…I need to see her by myself."

"Oh, of course, I understand."

Jack walked over to the door but turned back before he went out.

"Anything you want me to tell her except that she can do a lot better?"

Will smiled. He could see Jack was really trying to come to terms with it, for Karen's sake.

"Just tell her I love her."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Will sighed as he literally dragged his feet up the stairs. He had waited for the elevator for about 10 minutes but after no sign of it and the light staying on the 12th floor, he decided to walk up the stairs, something he now began to regret and with every step his feet felt heavier. As he climbed the stairs, he tried to clear his mind of everything that had happened but he couldn't escape what Jack had said to him.

"How do you have a future?"

Will had played over a thousand times in his head how his and Karen's relationship could ensue and no matter what grand miracles he thought up, the ending was still the same. It couldn't work. They couldn't be together.

He felt sick. Will stopped moving and sat down on a step, resting his head in his lap. He had to think of something…there must be a way…but there wasn't. Unless he woke up tomorrow and Stan was gone and Grace and Jack were happy for them, there was nothing.

"Goddamn it!" he suddenly shouted and slammed his fist into the concrete floor. Pain soared through his hand like fire and tears formed in his eyes but it wasn't his hand he was grieving over.

"Will? Oh my god, what's wrong?"

He looked up and saw Grace running down the stairs towards him. He froze for a second, panicking but as she grew closer he wiped his eyes and stood up.

"G...Grace? What are you doing here?" He stuttered out, trying to act normal despite his throbbing hand and breaking heart.

"Well, I've been stuck alone all night, haven't I? So I was just going to pop across the street to get some more ice-cream and the elevator's stuck again so…I took the stairs, but forget about me, what the hell's wrong? Were you…crying?" she hesitated slightly.

"Me? Um…no!" Will tried to smile and laugh it off but his face was flat and his laugh was hollow. Grace desperately wanted to know what was wrong, this was her best friend and he was obviously distressed about something.

"Will…" she said softly "What's going on?"

"Nothing, Grace, so will you just drop it?" He snapped causing her to jump back slightly with alarm. "I hurt my hand and that's it, ok? You finished snooping now?" he couldn't stop himself. He could hear himself saying the words but he couldn't control them. What was happening to him?

"Snooping? What the hell are you talking about, Will? I was only trying to…"

"Save it, Grace. I don't care. I'm going to bed."

"Will?" she shouted after him. "Will!"

But she was left again, feeling confused, hurt and even more alone than ever.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jack was ringing Karen's doorbell. His anger, although still burning slightly, had subsided greatly and the speech he had planned to say to Karen seemed…just wrong. 'Well, Jack,' he though to himself, 'looks like you're going to have to improvise this one'. 

The door opened and a tired looking Karen stood before him.

"Jack? What's the matter?" She had known something was wrong when Will had sent her a text saying 'remember, whatever they say…I love you.' about 10 minutes ago which had woken her up. She hadn't understood it at the time but now, it had just become much clearer. Someone knew. And from the look on Jack's face; a mixture of fear, anger and sadness, she knew it was him.

"I…umm, can I come in, Kare?"

"Of course, poodle. You know you don't have to ask."

Karen stepped aside and Jack walked slowly past her as she shut the door.

"So…what's up?" she asked, as brightly as she could, trying to mask her own fear that she felt.

"I think you know." Jack answered quietly, bowing his head.

"Oh." She whispered. "How did you…?"

"I saw you both tonight. You were getting in the limo and I was across the street."

Karen simply nodded and sat down in a near by chair, resting her head in her hands.

"Why didn't you tell me, Kare? I'm your best friend…or at least I thought I was…"

"Of course you are, Jackie! And you always will be! Oh, you don't know how many times I wanted to tell you but I couldn't!"

"That's what Will said. And I suppose I understand why but…but it doesn't stop it hurting, y'know?" He sat down at the opposite end of the room.

"I know, honey." And she did. Maybe not of the pain Jack was feeling, but she knew too well of the pain she felt at lying to him, betraying him. Of the sickness she felt at the pit of her stomach when she thought about all the people she would hurt if they found out. "Believe me, I know."

They were silent for a few minutes before Jack spoke again.

"I mean, it's not as if I would tell anyone if you asked me not to. I ain't gonna listen to Will, that's for sure, but you…I'd listen to you. I love you, Kare."

"And I love you too, Jack."

"But just not in the way you love Will."

"No." she answered quietly but truthfully. "Not in the same way."

They were quiet again but it was Karen who spoke first this time.

"Does…umm…"

"No, Grace doesn't know, and I don't know if she's going to. Will made me promise not to tell her. I wanted to, don't get me wrong, she deserves to know. But I didn't for you."

It was only then that Karen realised just how much she had meant to Jack and how much she had hurt him. Although she knew he liked her, there was always a small part of her that often wondered if it was all just a show, all for the money she spent on him. But now she realised just how wrong she was and it killed her.

"Jack, I'm…I'm really sorry." she sighed, trembling as she felt the tears run down her face.It felt like she was apologising notjust to Jack, but to everyone she was hurting, even though they couldn't hear or, in most cases, even knowwhat was happening."I don't know what else to say to you."

Jack watched her and realised it was the first time he had seen her cry and not try and hide it. He couldn't stand it any longer and left his anger behind as he stood up and rushed to where she was sitting, pulling her towards him with his arms wrapped tightly around her small frame. "It's ok, Kare." He whispered and for the first time that night, he felt like it was possible. It would take a while, but he knew, eventually, everything would be ok again.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Will glanced at the clock next to him. 04:30. He tried to sleep but he couldn't. He had waited till 3 for Grace to come in but she hadn't. He checked the staircase three times but she was nowhere to be seen. Her cell was laying on the coffee table so he couldn't ring her. Now he knew how she had felt all those nights when he hadn't come home till the early hours of the morning after seeing Karen. All he could see before him was the look on her face as he yelled at her and left her alone.

Karen couldn't sleep either. She and Jack had just stayed up talking for hours until finally, when the clock chimed 3:30, he went home. Karen smiled slightly for the first time that night, pleased that something had finally been resolved. She and Jack were ok again and that is what meant most to her in the world. But as Karen watched the hands of the clock move round, she felt sick as she thought about what lay ahead of her. The night had been so perfect and she could have stayed on that rug with Will forever. But Karen realised it was time to face reality and quick because Stan would be coming home in less than 6 hours and she couldn't keep living in a dream world. Before she knew what she was doing, she picked up the phone and dialled Will's number, something that had become so familiar to her over the last week but now…now it felt...different.

Will jumped up as the phone rang, falling over the step up to the kitchen in his hast to answer it.

"Hello? Grace? Gracie? Is that you?"

"Will? It's Karen."

"Oh…I thought you were Grace." He was happy to hear Karen's voice but his mind wandered straight back to Grace.

"Why, what's going on, honey? Oh god, does she know?" Karen started to panic, her breathing becoming fast and shallow.

"No, no, it's just…well, we had an argument and I said some stupid things, things I didn't mean, and I just left her and she hasn't come back home. It's been hours, Karen. Where is she?" he asked, even though he knew Karen would have no idea.

"Ok, you need to find her, Will. Have you rung her cell?"

"She left it here."

"Has she got her wallet?"

"Yeah, she took that with her, she was going out to get ice-cream or something before we argued." Will took a deep breath. "What's happened to me, Kare? This whole thing is tearing me apart. All the secrets and lies…they're turning me into someone that I don't know…that I don't want to become."

Karen knew exactly what he was talking about. "I know, honey."

"I wish…god, I just wish sometimes that we could just leave…we could go just away and be together without any of this shit to mess it up."

"But we can't, Will. And that's why we're in this situation. Look, Stan's back tomorrow and…well…" Karen couldn't believe she was about to say this. She bit her lip to try and stop her mouth trembling but it was no use. "…maybe we should just take a break for a while. I mean, let's face it, Will, as soon as Stan gets back it's going to be about a million times harder for us to see each other. We'll have to sneak around even more and it's not fair on either of us, let alone Stan, Jack and Grace." She realised Will hadn't said anything. "Don't you agree?"

Will was stunned. He couldn't believe what Karen had just said. Take a break? He wanted to protest. He wanted to shout and scream that she was wrong, that it could work because they loved each other and she was giving up too easily. That they could get through it, their love was enough. But, deep down, he knew thatit wasn't.

"You're right." He whispered after a silence that seemed to last an eternity. "I can't believe we're doing this, but you're right." he suddenly felt light-headed and steadied himself on the counter behind him. "I love you, Karen. Remember that…please." he pleaded with her, tears running down his face.

"I know you do, honey. I love you too. More than anything in the world." Karen started to sob, unable to control her emotions anymore. They were both silent with the exception of Karen's gentle sobbing and Will's heavy breathing.

"I meant what I said tonight, Karen. We can't be together now but...someday, ok? This isn't the end. I won't let it finish this way."

"I know, honey. Now, go on." She said, trying to wipe the tears from her face. "Go find Grace. I'll see you later." and she hung up the phone, incapable of saying another word.

Will stood still for a minute, not quite believing what had just happened. Had he really just lost her? And so quickly? Had he given in that easily? What had happened to the lawyer in him, the part of him that never let anything go without a fight?

Karen too was motionless except for the tears rolling down her cheeks. She started to tremble and sank to her knees, dropping the phone as she did. Did she really do the right thing? Was it too late to say she was wrong, that they could make it work? Karen picked up the phone as if to dial Will's number again but knew that she had been right. Slowly, she picked herself up off the floor and dragged her body over to her bed. As she walked, she saw an almost full bottle of vodka standing in her bedside cabinet so she leaned down and picked it up as she crawled into bed, taking the first swig before she had even pulled back the covers.

Will's mind was a swirling mass of confusion. He was left utterly heartbroken at Karen's phone call and wanted to do nothing more than to call her back and tell her that he would do anything, absolutely anything if it meant that they could be together, even for just one last day. But Karen's last words told him what he must do. "Go find Grace."

He grabbed his coat and Grace's cell (just in case she, or anyone else, tried to ring it) and ran out of the door. He didn't know where he was going but he just knew he had to find her.


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: This one is very Karen-angsty. I'll go back to what Will's doing in the next chapter but I just wanted to concentrate on Karen in this one as I do love her so:)

**Chapter 14**

A loud crash caused Karen wake up with a start. She looked around blindly to see what had caused the noise and saw the empty vodka bottle in pieces on the floor. 'It must have fallen out of the bed', she thought. 'How much did I drink?' She tried to remember how much was in the bottle when she went to bed but her mind was blank. She couldn't remember. She glanced at the pillow she had slept on and was puzzled by the black stains she found there but the night came flooding back to her as she realised that the black stains were mascara and that, she had not only drunk herself to sleep, but cried herself to sleep too. She looked slowly at the clock to her right, not moving her head too quickly as her hangover began to make itself known. 06:03. She groaned at the thought of how little sleep she'd had. She picked up the phone and looked at the last dialled number to see what time she had rung Will. 04.32. _Great_, she thought sarcastically, '_less than an hour and a half in bed. I'm sure going to be fresh as a daisy for Stan!_'

Slowly, she sat up and shuffled her way out of bed, picking up her dressing gown as she rose. She stepped forward but cried out in pain as the soles of her feet made brutal contact with the broken glass of the vodka bottle. She sunk to the ground, cradling her bleeding feet and sighed. Her feet throbbed with pain and her hands soon became wet with blood which began to seep its way into the cream carpet below her but she showed no emotion. Her face was like stone and her eyes were dry. Karen realised that she didn't care anymore; about the pain, about life, about anything. Through the crack in the curtains, out of her bedroom window, Karen could see the sun rising over Manhattan. The orange light enveloping all around it until the whole city was bathing in its glory. It was a sight which normally would have left her breathless, even if only for a moment, but today?…today she couldn't care less. Usually, if she was awake at this hour, Karen would sit silently watching the city she loved wake up. Kids going to school, men and women travelling to work; they were simple everyday things to anybody else but not to Karen. They sent a feeling of content rushing through her body as she watched. It meant everything was as it should be. Everything was ok. But today, Karen didn't even bother opening the drapes because everything wasn't ok, it wasn't as it should be. Suddenly Karen felt small and insignificant. She knew if she looked she would see what she always did…the world still turning and everybody going about their own business completely oblivious to the forty-something socialite falling apart on the floor of her bedroom in her million-dollar mansion. Nobody knew and nobody cared.

Not even Will.

As Karen sat there, slowly binding her dressing gown around her injured feet, she remembered what had happened the night before. She remembered the phone call, she remembered guzzling the vodka as if it were water, trying to do anything to stop her heart from breaking. She had done a lot of thinking, as she had laid there, about the phone conversation and Will's reaction to what she had said. She knew that their affair had needed to end but she hadn't expected him to just let her go, not without a fight. He had complied with what she'd said and not even attempted to change her mind. Her heart ached when she thought about him and she had to physically stop herself from reaching for the phone and calling him. No, he couldn't love her, not if he'd let her go so easily. Taking a deep breath, Karen stood up and carefully stepped over the remainder of the glass making her way towards her bathroom, limping slightly as she felt the glass still embedded in the soles of her feet. As the shower ran and the water began to get hot, Karen made a decision. _I've changed_, she thought, _I'm not Karen Walker anymore_. It was true, Karen had changed. She'd begun to let her guard down, she'd shown emotion and let Will see what she really felt. Even her staff had seen a change in her. She still yelled abuse but it wasn't with the same spitefulness as she had done it before. It felt, to them, like she did it more because she felt she had to, not because she wanted to. _Well, not anymore_, she decided, _that won't be me anymore. It's too painful when it all comes crashing down._ Karen stepped into the shower and let the water cover her body. She picked up a sponge and began to scrub until her skin was red raw, as if she was physically trying to get rid of the 'other' Karen that had over taken her. After she had showered and removed the pieces of glass from her feet, Karen found some bandages in the first aid kit under her sink and bound them up. She limped out of the bathroom to find Rosario finishing cleaning up the glass and blood from by the bed.

"Miss Karen, are you ok?" she asked earnestly, "I saw the glass and blood and…"

"I'm fine." She said quickly, glaring at the maid.

"Are you sure? There was a lot of blood. I'll go and find…"

"I said I'm fine!" she yelled, her eyes narrowing like a snake. "Just get the hell out!"

Rosario flinched slightly as she saw Karen turn back into what she used to be. She said nothing else but just looked sadly upon Karen as she left the room. Karen watched her leave and saw the look Rosario gave her. For a short second she wanted to call her back but Karen resisted and proceeded to walk into her closet. She ignored sick feeling she had growing in the pit of her stomach, and attempted to get ready for Stan's return.


End file.
